Jinxed!
by Karama9
Summary: Story written for Cloud Clavell as prize for that contest I had a while back. An origin story for Jinx, set around her reunion with Storm Shadow.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes**

This story is set in my usual AU, about a year after Reunion. It was written for Cloud Clavell, who requested a Jinx story as prize for winning my little contest from a while back.

* * *

**Chapter 1: Kimi Arashikage**

The Blind Master chuckled as soon as he woke; he could hear Kimi humming merrily in the dojo from here. He got dressed and took the stairs down, intent on making sure his former apprentice was not so giddy as to forget to actually do her chores and exercises. He found her sweeping the dojo, just like she should have been.

She stopped when he came in and her feet shuffled as she turned in his direction. He heard the fabric move as she bowed, and her voice coming from waist-height confirmed it. "Good morning, Blind Master!" she said brightly. The sweeping resumed a second later.

The Blind Master chuckled again. "I swear, one would think it's your lover you're expecting to see today, not your cousin!"

The sweeping stopped again as the young woman startled. "Eww," she said pointedly. "And he used to be more of a big brother than a cousin, you know that. I… it wasn't fun when he… left."

The Blind Master sobered back up immediately; Kimi did not often talk about that period of time and when she did, it was with the same internal battle between reserve and a desire to confide that her voice revealed now.

"Difficult times," he said. "For all of you."

Kimi nodded and started sweeping again, in silence this time. The Blind Master left her to it; if the memories were so keen on gaining her attention today as to be so easily summoned, it was perhaps best to indulge them now and hopefully be done with it than to allow them to overflow once company was here, and ruin the moment.

* * *

_- Japan, years earlier - _

_It was the dead of the night, and unbeknownst to anyone but themselves, the Arashikage clan was on the hunt. It was, like most things ninja, a quiet and secret affair; the groups moved through the city invisible to all but themselves. Also like most things ninja, it was dangerous business._

_Their prey had been, up to earlier that night, one of their own: the third highest ranking member of the clan, actually. He was also among the most dangerous ninjas in Japan, the kind of warriors one prefers to have on one's side. They had permission to kill him on sight, from a safe distance, and nearly all of the hunters intended to try and do just that; engaging him, even with the advantage of surprise and the further advantage of numbers, was simply too dangerous._

_Besides, who would argue that a man capable of killing the leader of his clan, his own uncle, deserved any better?_

_Kimi Arashikage was running along with the rest of her group more out of ingrained obedience than anything else. She most certainly didn't actually want to catch their quarry. Despite being told in no uncertain terms by the Soft Master that Tommy had killed the Hard Master, she was having a lot of trouble thinking of the man they were chasing as anyone else than her cousin. And her cousin would never have done such a thing as he was now accused of. _

_Except he had. Apparently. She didn't quite believe it, but she had been trained practically from birth to trust her elders' judgement, and the Soft Master was so sure that her own uncertainty felt like childish denial. Besides, it had been obvious for a while that Tommy had changed since he'd come back from the war. She didn't know how much of it was because of his service, how much because of his father's death, and how much because of having to serve as a wage earner, but even when he was around, he seemed colder, more distant, and above all, he was angry pretty much all the time. The Young Master was a very different person than her cousin Tommy had been; of that there was no doubt. Given that, it made no sense to try and guess at his actions based on old childhood memories._

_Immature and unjustified as it was, though, the feeling that Tommy couldn't possibly have killed their uncle was hard to shake off. So much so that the fact he'd most likely be killed on sight if he was found turned her stomach. The idea that she might see it happen, if the group she was in now happened to find her cousin, horrified her. _

_It was therefore a great relief when they were called back to the compound for some rest. She didn't see how she could possibly sleep, but anything was better than being out here, chasing after Tommy with the intent of killing him for a murder she still couldn't quite believe he was guilty of._

_She was intercepted in front of her house by her aunt, the clan's matriarch and the widow of the Hard Master. Kimi braced herself to hide her own doubts on Tommy's guilt, determined not to add to Obake Obaasan's burden by questioning how the clan was seeking justice for the shameful murder._

_The woman was wearing her usual scowl, and gestured the teenager inside. Kimi followed her in, forcing a smile directed at her mother as she took off her shoes. The ghost did not react, although its posture changed slightly into a more relaxed position. The kunoichi in training suddenly wondered whether her uncle was also now wandering the mortal realm._

_Obake Obaasan seemed to read her mind. "My husband has moved on," she said. "I can't pretend he is exactly at peace at the moment, but he is at least not trapped like your poor mother."_

_The matriarch's tone did not waver at all. She sounded, as she usually did, very focused on business. Kimi had no idea what to make of this. She followed her aunt to the table and made to sit opposite her before she caught herself._

_"May I offer you some tea?" she asked. "I haven't had the chance to say, I am very, very sorry..."_

_"Thank you for your sympathy, but please sit. I'd prefer not to delay our conversation."_

_The teenager swallowed, nodded and sat._

_"The Young Master did not kill his uncle," her aunt started. "The very thought is ridiculous." The statement was firm and did not invite any argument. _

_Her niece could not contain a sigh of relief. She would later wonder whether her aunt had been right or a victim of wishful thinking, but for now, there was no questioning the Goblin Granny._

_"A fact which will not help him survive," the matriarch added, her lips pursing. "The Soft Master is blinded by grief, and I can only hope he'll figure this out before it's too late. In the meantime, however, I want you out of here. I will not have you made to chase and possibly help murder your cousin, and I will not have you branded a traitor for refusing to do so." _

_Kimi's eyes widened. The thought of escaping the obligation to hunt down Tommy was beyond welcomed, but had her aunt just said she thought the Young Master would definitely be killed sooner or later? And what exactly did she mean when she said she wanted her out of here?_

_"I don't know whether Tomisaburo will escape or not," Obake Obaasan said, once again seeming to read her mind. "I certainly hope he will, and I will do everything I can to ensure that he does. Sadly, in this case, 'everything I can' amounts to very little. Thankfully, I can at least get _you_ out of harm's way. I am sending you to the Blind Master. Tonight."_

_The teenage kunoichi in training swallowed nervously. "Isn't he… in America?" she asked._

_Obake Obaasan nodded. "It's best for you to be too far to be asked to come back regularly. If things degenerate, you will also be safest well away from here." _

_The newly widowed woman relaxed very slightly when her niece did not ask how things may degenerate. A ninja clan was trying to kill one of their own masters; one did not need to be able to imagine the exact way it would happen to know things could easily get extremely ugly as the other clans got involved. The question Kimi did ask didn't take her by surprise._

"_What about Mom?" The girl glanced quickly towards the entrance, where the ghost was, as usual, standing guard. "She doesn't like when I go out. How will she take it if I'm gone for a really long time?"_

"_I'm sorry to say that I don't know. Because she continues to guard the house when you are not in, I believe she forgets that you're out shortly after you leave. If that's the case, she will not be aware of your prolonged absence and will be spared the stress she's under whenever she sees you leaving the safety of home. On the other hand, she will not get to see you and will therefore not be regularly reassured that you are well. But then, we don't know how she perceives time." The matriarch sighed. "The living must always be our priority, Kimi. Go pack a change of clothes, and be quick about it. We don't want to risk the Soft Master checking on you just as you're on your way out."_

* * *

Kimi snatched her mind back to the present; despite her fears and apprehensions, she had been relieved to leave back then. Leaving meant she didn't have to try and kill her own cousin; it meant she didn't have to keep looking at her miserable, trapped mother several times a day; it meant she didn't have to see the clan fall apart; she'd had no doubt that it would and sure enough, there was basically nothing left of it now other than their core family. It had very nearly been even less.

She found she was staring at the closet, where she'd just stowed her broom, and gave her head a shake to displace the memories. She didn't want to be rehashing those things, there was no point. Nor was there any point in feeling guilty over the fact her 14 year old self had selfishly been glad to follow a direct order she'd have had to obey regardless.

These times were over; her family, or at least what was left of it, was slowly reuniting and was even starting to build a clan again since Tommy had advised them his apprentice was with him. The kunoichi chuckled; it had taken him over a decade, but her cousin had finally found himself a student. Chances were he'd have a few more by this time tomorrow: the Blind Master would only be too happy to pass over some of his less promising students.

Until, of course, they both left to rejoin GI Joe. Technically, Tommy was here to evaluate her and help his Commanding Officer decide whether she was worthy of the team. She knew she was, and therefore was confident she'd be transferred to the team, but she couldn't blame the brass for having a few doubts since she had spent quite a bit of time since enrolling doing far less than her best. The Blind Master called it self-sabotage, and she supposed he was right. She bit her lip and forced her thoughts away from the subject: this was a GOOD day. No time to be getting upset over the past.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Family Reunion**

"Ah, here we are," Storm Shadow said, parking the car. "Ye olde dojo." He grinned at the building across the street.

Billy leaned forward to look past him and his eye widened. There was no mistaking the building Tommy was referring to, thanks in good part to the fact it had 'Arashikage Martial Arts School' written in fading red paint directly on the decrepit exterior wall, but he rather felt the sight was nothing to smile at.

"It looks condemned," he said. "Or like it should be."

"Yes," Tommy mused, still smiling fondly. "No doubt there's an interesting story behind that. And who knows? Maybe we'll even get to make ourselves useful."

They got out of the car and waited on the sidewalk for a break in traffic. Billy was still eyeing the building. "Well, at least we know your cousin's brave. She has to be to live here," he commented.

Tommy chuckled. They started crossing and made it to the front door of the building. Billy scratched his head. This place had to be abandoned, and he could think of only one reason they would be sent to an abandoned place.

"It really looks like it's ready to fall over." He pointed at a large crack near the door. "Are we sure we're not walking into a trap?"

Tommy frowned. "Of course we're not sure. You should NEVER be sure of that." The obligatory lecture delivered, his expression softened, revealing he wasn't particularly worried. "Anyway, I hear people inside. Be on your guard, just in case." His expression became stern again. "I do wish I didn't feel the need to even TELL you that."

Billy swallowed, looking satisfyingly embarrassed, and nodded. Storm Shadow pulled on the door. As he had expected since this was the public entrance of a business which was currently opened, despite looking as though it was in dire financial troubles indeed, it was unlocked.

The door creaked loudly. Both ninja and apprentice tensed and stepped away from the doorway, but nothing happened. Storm Shadow shrugged and went in, listening intently but playing dumb to avoid teasing in the likely scenario that there was no trap, and to cause his foes to underestimate him just in case there was one. He could already hear Kimi, or someone who sounded exactly like he'd expect a grown up version of her to sound like, but there was no way yet to be certain she hadn't simply been captured to use as bait. "Hello?" he called. "Is anybody here?"

Billy looked up and Tommy nodded, confirming that the people he had already heard were upstairs. They walked through a small, empty lobby towards a visible stairway in the far corner.

At that point, it was clear that nobody was positioned to properly attack them, and that the two people present weren't moving. Between that and the fact there was only one person here other than his cousin, Storm Shadow felt he could relax; this was no trap, and even if it was, it wasn't a dangerous one. "If you're going to hide, you may want to stop breathing quite so loudly," he called out again from the bottom of the stairs. "If I had hostile intention, I could have taken a chance on this whole building collapsing from it and thrown swords through the ceiling straight at both of you." From his completely relaxed tone, Billy could guess his Sensei had a reason not to worry and relaxed as well.

There was a slight pause, a flurry of steps, and then a door opened at the top of the stairs, framing a feminine silhouette. Tommy grinned at it.

"Hello, Kimi!" he called. "I was wondering how much bigger you'd be… goodness, you must have gained a good inch since I last saw you," he teased. Billy held back a snort; the woman at the top of the stairs was indeed tiny- he guessed not much more than five feet tall.

Tommy's cousin seemed unable to say anything for a moment. "You're one to talk," she finally huffed, "that young apprentice of yours is already as tall as you." She cleared her throat and granted them a small smile. "Obake Obaasan told us to expect you, but you told her you'd find me at the recruitment centre tomorrow, so I didn't expect you to show up here today."

Kimi felt like digging a hole and hiding in it; she wasn't really sure what she had just babbled, she was having too much trouble sorting through her emotions - something she felt was utterly ridiculous. There was nothing to sort through, she should just be happy to see a family member again for the first time in a while.

A family member she had thought dead, then deserving to be dead, then dead again, then worse than dead. She swallowed and vaguely wondered whether she'd find herself hugging him or trying to slap him when he got within range. Both options were tempting.

"Changed my mind," Tommy said, shrugging, while he climbed the stairs. He didn't quite sound himself and Kimi guessed family reunions weren't his strong suit either, lately. The urge to hit him lowered a bit.

His apprentice followed him up the stairs, looking far more comfortable than she felt and Tommy sounded. Kimi's first impression of the boy, despite the eye patch, was 'normal'. She knew it was as far from the truth as it gets, but the impression remained. She shrugged off the feeling, attributing it to a simple matter of contrast: the boy only seemed normal compared to them, and only because while her own family's recent history was very much on her mind at the moment, Billy's was not of immediate concern.

"I wanted to see the school," Tommy continued. "You seem to be going for the 'abandoned for twenty years' look?"

The Blind Master, from somewhere behind Kimi, tutted. "Not abandoned, merely in needs of funds and therefore not a tempting target for criminals or a trendy school for rich youths who think learning martial arts for a year or so is cool. I'm glad to find your ears are as reliable as I was told, Young Master. The Seeing Master taught you well, it seems, although…"

The man turned towards Billy, who was just reaching the top of the stairs. "The metal weapon under your right foot and the one tied to your calf are easily audible, young man. I'm rather surprised your Sensei hasn't insisted you correct that."

"You don't have much faith in me, do you?" Storm Shadow asked, clearly insulted. "Of course I would have if that was indeed weapons."

Billy bent and hitched up the right leg of his pants, revealing the gleaming metal of his artificial leg.

The Blind Master tilted his head. "Fabric against smooth, uninterrupted metal? Your leg is artificial? And yet your walk is even… congratulations, I am not often fooled." He chuckled, showing he didn't mind at all.

Kimi wasn't sure exactly what tipped the balance - maybe the comfortable tone the conversation was already taking - but she tackled Tommy in a hug. He hugged back with a chuckle. "Watch it kiddo. Don't you know better than to push friends down staircases yet?"

She whacked him.

* * *

The Blind Master led them to the dining room, a small room off the main dojo and connected to an even smaller kitchen, and made them sit at a low table. He walked on through to the kitchen and put a kettle of water to boil.

"You drink tea, Young Master?" he called out. "I have your father's favourite."

"Actually, if it's not too much trouble, I would prefer something with no caffeine," Tommy replied. "For Billy, too."

Kimi smiled; obviously, some things never changed. She glanced at Billy, who did not react; he was either used to this or like most American teenagers, he didn't care much for tea anyway.

The Blind Master scoffed. "The Hard Master ruined you, did he? You'll have to make do with apple tea then." He then muttered something about how even the Insane Master had more sense than to not allow himself real tea. "And yes, I know you heard that," he finished, louder.

Tommy chuckled. "Apple tea would be wonderful, thank you."

They waited in silence for about three seconds before Tommy made a show of wincing while touching the spot his cousin had hit on his head.

Kimi decided to head him off and scoffed. "You deserved a much harder hit than that, you know?"

The man known to most people he dealt with as the deadly ninja Storm Shadow pouted. "Well, yes, but honestly, I was expecting a more psychological kind of attack. You've grown into a brute."

"Why thank you."

Tommy suddenly grew serious. "I AM sorry. I know that doesn't fix anything, but..."

She cut him off. "You're sorry for the people you physically hurt. How about your family?"

"I've shamed our name, and..."

She barked a laugh. "Auntie sent me here the night uncle died. Did you know that? She didn't want me to have to try and kill you like the rest of the clan. And she didn't want me to get in trouble for refusing. She even tried to let me know you were innocent, and you know what? It kind of worked for a while."

The Blind Master came back with a tray charged with two teapots and four cups at that moment. He deposited it on the table and turned to the Young Master, orienting his face to fake a stare down.

"It did. She spent years worrying for you rather than not caring what became of you. Only to find out, shortly after her graduation, that you were now a member of the most infamous terrorist organization in the World."

"Ah, so that's what you mean, Kimiko? You're wondering whether I also feel suitably guilty for the emotional roller coaster I've put my family through?"

Billy scoffed. "Suitably would be not much at all. It's hardly his fault you people sentenced him to death and had regrets about it afterwards."

"No," Tommy agreed, "but my joining Cobra most certainly is. I do regret that I made the few people who hadn't condemned me yet feel like they should have, but honestly, it ranks rather low on my list of regrets."

"I felt like the biggest idiot in the World," Kimi said. "It's why I joined the army, too. I wanted to help Snake Eyes clear the family name. Two of us fighting Cobra being better than one, you know?"

"And you weren't an apprentice anymore by then, either," the Blind Master piped in. "You were more than skilled enough to assist Snake Eyes."

"Thank you," Kimi acknowledged the compliment. She turned back to her cousin. "Point is, you could have contacted SOMEONE."

"How was he supposed to know that would have been safe at all?" Billy asked.

The Blind Master chuckled and patted the young man on the head. "All well and good to want to defend your sensei," he said, "but he can manage himself. And besides, we're all friends here. Kimi is merely getting a few things off her chest."

"And a few lumps on my head," Tommy added. He cleared his throat. "Seriously, though, all three of you are right. I could have contacted someone, but I was convinced that would only get me killed. And I deserve all the tongue lashing you can dish out, Kimiko, so go ahead."

Kimi chewed on her lip; she didn't feel the need to tell him off for what he had done with Cobra: she knew from Snake Eyes he was more than sorry enough for all that already. She really just wanted to drive home what it had all been like for her, but when she thought of it, it seemed petty and more to the point, she was kind of done with the part Tommy was actually responsible for. "I'm done for now," she said. You'll know when inspiration strikes again. Or at least your skull will."

"You do know I let you hit me, right?"

Kimi snorted. She did know, but admitting it wouldn't be much fun. "No, you didn't. You're just getting very slow in your old age."

Tommy snickered. "I would have to be much older than I am to be that slow, Kimiko. A few centuries, at least."

"A shame it didn't take nearly that long for you to start turning grey," she lied, looking at his hair and smirking.

Tommy's eyes widened and his eyes darted upward before he caught himself. "You're seeing things," he said gently. "No doubt you find me so wise that you find yourself unable to process the fact that I am still young."

The Blind Master barked a laugh. "Wise?"

Kimi snickered, although Billy noticed her smirk no longer reached her eyes. "He does seem a lot wiser than he used to be, which is not only normal at his age, but not saying much." She frowned. "There was really nowhere to go but up after joining Cobra. Although you did manage to hang on to the stupidest thing anyone could ever do for 8 years."

Tommy had lost his smile and cast his eyes down. Billy had to fight the urge to defend him again ; it was pointless since the Blind Master and Kimi had no reason to listen to him, and more importantly, Tommy had already expressed he wanted his cousin to go ahead and chew him out to her heart's content.

"Not that I was much better," Kimi continued. "I enlisted, like I told you, but I couldn't stand the idea of actually going after you."

Tommy chose not to comment. Kimi's file was a mix of impressive performances tempered by twice as many lackluster ones. It was obvious to him that she had been self sabotaging on several occasions, and he had been wondering if it was to avoid being transferred to GI Joe and having to potentially fight him. It seemed he now had the answer to that.

"It was even worse once you got brainwashed," Kimi added, her voice softening a bit. "The Soft Master didn't believe you did for the longest time, so I was getting two totally different stories on what was going on from Snake Eyes and him. I had no clue what to think."

"I can relate to that. You had two people feeding you different versions of reality, I had my own head feeding me two for most of that time and up to three towards the end… whenever my brains were working at all, that is."

Jinx rolled her eyes. "All right, all right," she said. "You had it worse. It's not like I'm saying you didn't; I'm just saying it wasn't fun for me either."

Tommy took a sip of his tea. "I know," he said. "So given you couldn't make up your mind whether to actively hunt me or not, are you more clear on whether you want to work with me now?"

She looked aside and put a finger to her lip, pretending to think hard. She turned to her cousin's apprentice. "How busy are you keeping him?" she asked.

"When I'm there, a lot," Billy replied with a smirk. "So does Snake Eyes, and Sensei takes on a lot of work anyway. You would barely know he's there," he added, putting extra emphasis on the 'you'.

Kimi smiled and clapped her hands. "Well, that settles it, then. If I'm not the only one keeping Tommy out of trouble, I'll manage just fine with GI Joe!"

Tommy could have acted indignant, but chose to play along instead and smirked. "Nobody said being busy was keeping me out of trouble," he said.

Kimi's eyes widened in a mocked horrified expression for a moment before she blinked and smiled. "Wait, that's even better. You're hilarious when you're troublesome. Oh, I definitely want in."

Storm Shadow smiled back. "Very well. We'll start your evaluation tomorrow." His smile widened into a sadistic grin. "This is going to be fun."

Kimi's eyes widened again, this time in genuine alarm. Tommy took a sip of his tea to keep himself from laughing: he didn't actually have much in mind for Kimi's evaluation, mostly because between her file, the Blind Master's recommendation and this conversation, he had already made up his mind to recommend her for the team.

He'd just wanted to scare her. After all, what were cousins for if not to torment each other a bit?

**Fin**


End file.
